An Year on Airport

31-Dec-2006 18:00
I am sitting in the office working like morons since there is no holday here even on this sunday, in this chinese office(Just because they will give a holiday on Monday for new year). I dont even know what will i do and where will I be at midnight.

18:05
My chinese colleague(David) says. shall we ask the customer for a leave of three days and go to beijing?

18:20
Customer has rejected our request of going away and wants us to support the system.

18:30
We three decide(Me, Vikram and davdi), "hell with the customer", lets get out of this place, we will go to beijing now and come back on 2nd morning.

18:50
We get out of the office saying to the customer that we will leave early today so that we can have nice dinner since we are not going anywhere. Customer smiles as if he is very generous and has granted us freedom for life.

19:10
I am back in hotel and ask the receptionist for a check out. In the meanwhile David has booked tickets for beijing.

19:45
David calls me to check if i am leaving soon from my hotel to pick him up and then go to airport.

20:15
I am still moving my luggage and David has called me 4 times asking if i have left my hotel. He is worried we will miss the flight since we are late.

20:30
I leave my hotel to go to David's place.

20:40
David is impatiently waiting at his place and this Taxi driver is driving as if i am on some sight seeing. But, it is not his fault, the road is layered with snow so he has to drive slow.

20:45
I reach david's hotel, pick him up. He is so upset with me that he is not even talking to me. I know he will not talk to me as long as we dont board the flight.

21:10
We reach Airport bang on time.

21:20
David has collected the boarding pass and he is finally smiling. But the flight is late due to fog and so we need to sit on the airport for some time.

21:45
This is when the right is suppose to take-off, but this flight is suppose to come from beijing to hohhot(this is where i am) and then go from hohhot to beijing. The flight has still not left from beijing, so we expect to leave around 11:00.

22:15
We decide to go through security check-in to avoid any last minute hassles.

22:45
I am feeling hungary so i get some cup noodles and somehow manage to eat them.

23:15
We see a number of people arriving on airport. Hurray!! we think the flight has come and its time we would depart soon and would spend the new year on the air.

23:25
We discover this flight is coming from another city and since it could not go to beijing due to fog so it had to land here.


23:45
I once again have no idea where i am i going to end up.

00:00
We guys hug each other and cheerup for the new year. We have been on the Airport since 2006 and now it is 2007.

00:05
There is an announcement, since the flight that was to arrive here has not left beijing till now, flight is cancelled!!!

00:15
The only possibilty is to cancel the tickets and re-chedule them to morning. We three are in split minds. David has to go anyways as he has some work in beijing and he has his family there. I dont want to go anymore as i have to return to work on 2nd morining and i dont want to go for less that 24 hours. But Vikram wants to go because he is afraid that he will not get another chance to go to Beijing.

00:30
I decide that i will not go but David and Vikram will go.So David can book two tickets for the morning but cancel my ticket.

00:45
I come to know David has booked only one ticket and Vikram also decided he will not go(achha dost hai).

01:00
We are in the shuttle bus to get back to the hotel.

01-Jan-2007 01:30
We reach back to our hotel. Hotel sweet hotel.

02:30
I am thinking i went to the airport last year with sparkles in my eyes and beijing in my mind and i have come back from the airport without going to beijing with smiles on my face and sleep on in my eyes. Since I and david had checked out, so we are left with only one room.
I will be sleeping on the floor. After more than a month i will sleep on floor so i am feeling like i am in banglaore at my place!!

Happy New year!!